Dick Van Dyke says he would've left Hollywood years ago if he didn't love it so much

Dick Van Dyke is doing what he loves.

At 98-years-old the iconic actor has had one of the most illustrious careers in Hollywood's history.

And while some say they get tired of the world of show business, that couldn't be further from the truth for Van Dyke.

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The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor said that he never had a real drive or passion to become an actor, putting it all down to fate.

"Well, it was a matter of just enjoying myself," he told Deadline in a recent interview.

"I always loved what I was doing. If it had felt like work, I probably would have stopped it a long time ago. But I just loved it."

When the interviewer referred to Van Dyke's time in showbusiness as his "work," the actor simply corrected him, "I call it my play," he said.

Van Dyke got his start at 17 as a radio announcer.

"I got that job because the war was on and everybody was drafted," he said. "I was running a radio station every night by myself at that age."

He shared that he initially planned to become a television announcer, but was let go from the role after three years.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I had to go out and look for work," he said.

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He's since gone on to star in how own sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as starring in countless other projects such as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Van Dyke has worked his way into the hearts of fans all around the world, well and truly earning the status of a Hollywood icon; but even after so many years in the business, he says he still can't get used to that term.

"It's a little hard for me to get my brain around that," he said. "I don't see myself that way and I can't comprehend myself as that."

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